


they take their shots, but we're bulletproof

by possibilityleft



Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Droid Culture, Droid POV, Gen, Missing Scene, Treat
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-15
Updated: 2016-02-15
Packaged: 2018-05-12 23:44:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 649
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5686240
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/possibilityleft/pseuds/possibilityleft
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An evening in Rey's AT-AT.  BB-8 tries not to worry.</p><p> </p><p>  <em>"What are you doing out here, anyway?" she asks, and Beebee hesitates, because some people have a limit to their kindnesses.  Instead of answering, he asks her if the town is far from here.</em></p>
            </blockquote>





	they take their shots, but we're bulletproof

**Author's Note:**

  * For [gloss](https://archiveofourown.org/users/gloss/gifts).



Some people are better than others. This is objectively true and logical. It may not have been part of a droid's programming originally, but they soon learn. Some people will treat a droid like a sentient being, and others will not. It is often difficult to determine which kind of person an individual is without interacting with them, so every droid is familiar with the disappointment. They do not control who owns them, or what they do for that person, within programming and reason, so every droid meets plenty of both kinds of people.

Rey is a good one. BB-8 likes her right away. She knows Binary and she is trying to help him, even facing off against another being on BB-8's behalf. Beebee follows her into the fallen AT-AT and finds himself considering a future where Rey is his master, if Poe doesn't come back. He wants Poe to come back very badly -- Poe is definitely a good person -- but he might not. Beebee saw the explosion. He knows they are in a war.

Rey acts wary, like she's been in a war for a very long time, but she is gentle with Beebee. She sits down in her quarters and gestures for Beebee to roll between her knees. When he does, she gives him a thorough check-up, checking all his external parts for functionality and ease of movement. She doesn't try to open any storage that he carefully holds closed. She wipes sand off his chassis as if he won't be acquiring more sand on his chassis as soon as he leaves his shelter.

"There we go," she says softly, giving him a gentle shove, and he obediently rolls away.

"What are you doing out here, anyway?" she asks, and Beebee hesitates, because some people have a limit to their kindnesses. Instead of answering, he asks her if the town is far from here.

"It would be a long roll," she tells him, "but lucky for you, I have to go to town tomorrow. I can take you on my speeder then."

He whistles his thanks and she shows him the small generator she keeps to warm her place at night and run the occasional electrical gadget.

"If you need it," she says, and yawns. "Time for me to recharge."

She crawls into her nest of blankets and Beebee is silent, unmoving, until he's sure she's asleep. He doesn't need the charge, and she doesn't need the cost of charging him anyway -- he can tell that it must be difficult for organic life to last on this planet, with its very limited resources. He has the map tucked safely into his compartment, and he spends a little while attempting to process it and match it against the star charts he has in his memory, but he has no luck. He knows his charts aren't complete, but it's frustrating anyway. He wants to be on a ship back to D'Qar where there are plenty of other droids and people to help him figure it out.

He wonders if Rey would come with him, if he asks. He doesn't want to go back alone. With the map, he feels utterly vulnerable in a way he never has before. When he's in a firefight, helping Poe fight the First Order, there's always a risk of him being destroyed. But if that happened, Poe could land the X-Wing on his own; he'd be okay. If Beebee was destroyed now, a precious piece of information would be lost, possibly forever. He'd feel better if he had someone on his side, someone like Rey.

He decides to go into low power mode for the remainder of Jakku's night. Worrying about Poe or Rey or the plans will only waste processing power right now. Tomorrow will be another day.

He has plenty of good people around him to help him figure everything out then.


End file.
